Fandom: FMA
Title: Hiding From The Truth
Pairings: Elricest, Roy/Al
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Incest, hard yaoi, angst

Author's Notes: AU

Word Count: 2,296

Status: Incomplete
Disclaimer: When pigs fly.

Summary: The Elrics' quest has ended, they are restored, and find a sweet and forbidden love. But when Ed begins to fear society's wrath, he pushes Al away and into the arms of another man.

Hiding From the Truth

Chapter 1

Alphonse jogged down the little cobbled path from their house, his backpack bouncing over his shoulder. It was a beautiful morning, and he breathed in the crisp, cold air. Since the little house he and his brother lived in was so conveniently located near the military base, it was only a hop, skip, and a jump to the gate house, where he didn't even have to flash his dependant ID anymore, but did anyway because it was protocol. The guard at the gatehouse frowned at him, remarking that he wasn't properly dressed for the cold. Alphonse just laughed, hefted his pack on his shoulder, white breath pluming on the almost frigid air. He tossed a wave at the man and continued on, leaving the guard staring wistfully after him.

He slowed down to a brisk trot on the long curving avenue that led past various administrative buildings, and picked up speed on the narrow two-lane street that passed the dorms. He was almost to the library, his destination, but he didn't like how the soldiers would tease him as he jogged past. Why so many men took an unwholesome interest in him, he would never know. But this was the quickest and easiest way to the library. As usual he completely ignored the whistles and calls that his passage seemed to inspire, his neck prickling. Though the men were never crude or mean, for Fullmetal would beat the holy hell out of anyone that taunted his little brother, the invitations to coffee or lunch or come inside and let me show you my latest souvenir from Creta made him decidedly uncomfortable. The looks in the eyes of those men and women made him realize they looked upon him like some sort of succulent morsel. He'd only stopped once, early on, and when the man drew him into his arms and tried to kiss him, he'd fled as if the hounds of hell were after him. Though sensation was something he dearly prized, and often overwhelmed him in the most embarrassing way sometimes, that kiss had harrowed up his soul. It had felt intensely wrong. He never stopped for a chat with any of them along the dorm and barracks row again.

But he was quickly past them, and he slowed again to a brisk trot along the store fronts of the commissary and various stores. At last he halted, drawing in deep breaths at the foot of the massive stone steps that led up to the library. Here he rested a moment, enjoying the white clouds of steam that left his mouth as he slowed his breathing and allowed the cold snow laden air cool his overheated body.

"Alphonse Elric!" The stern voice snapped him out of his post run euphoria. "Have you lost your mind?"

He looked up into the dark eyes of Roy Mustang, garbed in a fur lined great coat, his dark hair impeccable as ever.

"Oh, hi, Gen. Mustang!" Al panted softly, "Have you come to the library too?"

"Where is your coat, Alphonse?" Mustang said, ignoring the comment as his eyes traveled over the boy's barely clad body. "Fullmetal is going to have a fit if you get sick."

Al shrugged. "It's too hot for a coat when I run. This sweater is enough."

Mustang's eyes widened. "You ran here? From your house? That's almost four miles!"

"Sure. It's great exercise. With Niisan gone so much, I don't get a whole lot. And I love coming here to the library, even if I can't check out books. It so nice and snug and… libraryry…" Al laughed at his own words.

"Libraryry…" Mustang echoed, unable to resist the tug of a smile. The boy's cheeks were deliciously flushed from his exertions, his beautiful honey blond bangs sticking to his lightly perspiring face. His ponytail was in glorious disarray. "Well, come in then, and get out of this cold. You're not running anymore." He took the boy's arm and led him up the steps to the great doors, feeling the heat radiating off him, and repressed a shiver.

At the main desk, Mustang watched him shrug out of his backpack and withdraw several large tomes and lay them on the returns pile. Alphonse had run all that way with that load of books on his back? "I thought you couldn't check out books," he said meditatively.

"Oh, these are Niisan's," he said gaily, watching carefully as each one was checked in.

"Why are you bringing Fullmetal's books back for him?"

"He forgot them this morning, and I knew they were due today, so I brought them." At Mustang's frown, he smiled. "I don't mind. I always like coming here and as I said, the exercise is good for me. When Niisan's home, we can play and sparx, and that keeps me in shape, but when he's not, I get lonely, and tend to get lazy. Especially when he's away on one of his missions." Here Al frowned, remembering when he used to go everywhere with his brother, mission or not. But Ed never let him come on his missions now, deeming them too dangerous. He sighed. "And since Niisan will be leaving tomorrow, I knew he would continue to forget them."

Since Ed had restored Al's body and returned to work in the military, Mustang made it his business to know as much as he could about the boys' lives. He knew for a fact that it was rare for Al to come to the library when Ed was in Central. That was why he was so surprised to see him today, especially in view of the fact that Ed would be leaving for a mission on the morning tomorrow. But when Ed was gone, Al spent almost every day here. He spent all his free time with his brother. The boy must be excruciatingly lonely sometimes.

"Are you staying?" Mustang asked nonchalantly as Al shoulder his now empty backpack on his shoulder.

"No," the boy shook his head, ponytail flying. "I have too much to do. I want to make a special dinner for Niisan tonight. I'll stop at the commissary on my way out and refill my pack with goodies." For a moment, Al's nose prickled and he was dismayed to feel tears in the back of his eyes.

"Let me drive you there, then back home," Mustang offered gently, seeing the boy's distress.

"No, that's ok. I really do need the exercise. I'm starting to get fat, see?" He smoothed his sweater against his belly.

Mustang didn't see any fat whatsoever, and said so.

"Here," Al took the older man's hand and laid it on his stomach, where Mustang could feel the gentle swell of his belly. "Fat. Can't have that. Niisan would be so ashamed of me, and I shudder to think what Teacher would say if she saw this."

Mustang's eyes almost crossed, and he was glad for his greatcoat. Since he first laid eyes on Al, during that amazing transformation, he'd been more than a little fascinated with him. Having his hand on the boy's slim belly was affecting him. He was getting an erection, by all that was sacred.

"You're not fat, Alphonse," was that his voice? He coughed. "Just because you're a little… snuggly, doesn't mean you're fat."

Al's eyes brightened. "I'm snuggly? I guess that's ok. But I can't get too snuggly now, can I? I'll show it to Niisan tonight and see what he thinks. In the meantime, I have got to be getting back." He dropped Mustang's hand and turned away.

"Wait, Alphonse." When the boy turned back with inquiring eyes, Mustang smiled weakly. "Since you're so determined to return on your feet, let me walk with you. I could use a little exercise myself."

At first the boy's eyes lit up with a blaze. Then he sobered. "Won't that be interrupting your work?"

Mustang's heart throbbed gently. The boy really was so terribly lonely. He would have to have a little chat with Fullmetal about this.

"Well, you see, that's the joy about paperwork," Mustang said smoothly, realizing he would die before letting Alphonse run home alone today, "it'll still be there, waiting for me, when I get back. Unfortunately, it's not going anywhere."

Al laughed, his voice sweet and musical and Mustang almost melted. The man had since come to terms with the fact that Alphonse affected him so easily. It was wonderful, glorious feeling. Women seldom moved him anymore, though he dated as much as ever.

"Won't Lt. Hawkeye get mad at you?" Al was suddenly anxious. "I don't want you to get into trouble on my account."

Mustang waved a hand. "She's always mad at me for one reason or another. Let me do this. The office is so stuffy, and I'm getting fat too, see?" His hand snaked out, caught the boy's and pressed it to his belly now.

Al turned a lovely shade of rose. He couldn't feel even one ounce of fat on the older man's body, but was too tongue tied to say anything, amazed at the tingling that raced through him. Only with Niisan had his body reacted this way. "O…okay…" he stammered, bewildered.

Vastly pleased with the boy's response, he smiled, and, still holding Al's hand, turned and walked out of the library with him.

On the stairs, the boy tugged his hand free, still blushing.

"What's wrong, Alphonse?" It didn't even occur to Mustang to smirk. He never smirked at Al.

"I don't want you to be in trouble because of me. Niisan never holds my hand in public. Not since we were kids anyway."

Mustang digested that. "But he'll hold your hand when you're not in public?"

Al nodded and smiled. "All the time, when he's home, anyway. He knows how much I like to hold hands. But never in public, like hugging and kissing too. He says he wont let anyone take me away from him."

"He hugs and kisses you in private?" Mustang was enthralled.

Al blushed, and began to look pensive. "Yes. He says people wouldn't understand. That they might think we were doing something wrong. But how can showing love ever be wrong?" He bit his lip. "You… you won't tell, will you? It's not like we are doing anything wrong. But he knows how much I need them."

"I wouldn't dream of saying anything to anyone, Alphonse. I promise." Mustang was watching the boy keenly as they walked. "So, do you like what he does? It doesn't make you uncomfortable?"

"Oh, yes, I love it when he holds me tight and kisses me for so long. It feels so good to feel it now. And it feels so different now that we're not kids anymore. Now, when we do that, I get so light headed and my tummy flutters, and I ache, which is really strange. I never used to ache when we did that before. But it's a really good kind of ache, not the hurtful kind. And then Niisan gets all red faced and laughs and lets go of me until we both calm down." The boy was silent a moment, thoughtful.

Mustang held his breath, waiting to see what the boy would say next.

"It's something we've always done, even when we were kids; hugging and kissing forever and holding hands. Always. Even when I was armor, except it was Niisan doing all the kissing then, I couldn't anymore. When I got my body back, of course we started it again. But then, Niisan got strange, and started pushing me away. I didn't understand. What was so wrong? We've always done it. But it seemed to embarrass him for some reason. Of course, I didn't let him see how that hurt my feelings. But he carefully explained to me that we weren't kids anymore, and that it wasn't really the proper thing to do now. And I guess he was right. You have to grow up sometime. So we stopped for a while. But that seemed to make Niisan even more sad. Sometimes I would hear him crying at night, in the bathroom, and saying my name. It would make me cry too. Then one night, he climbed into my bed and held me so tight. He cried into my neck, telling me he was sorry, but he couldn't take it anymore. And then he kissed me, and it was wonderful! I was so happy. And then he showed me new ways of hugging and kissing, and it hurt at first, but at the end… it was heavenly. I never knew hugging and kissing could be so messy!" And he laughed softly.

Then he sighed. "But the next morning, he cried again, and begged my forgiveness. For what? For loving me? Now, we just hug and kiss again, until Niisan makes me stop. I wish he wouldn't. I liked that new way very much. I know he did too, and wants to again. I can see it in his eyes, feel it in his kisses, hear it in his voice. I just don't understand why we have to stop. I don't care that we're brothers. I love him and I know he loves me too. He says the world won't understand, that they would take me away from him. That terrifies me. I can't live without my Niisan. So I listen to him, and I stop. He says when I turn seventeen, it won't matter anymore, because then no one will be able to take me away from him. But two years! It seems forever. Oh, here we are."

Mustang blinked, shaken abruptly out of his fascination with Al's tale. They had arrived at the commissary.